


Inevitable Chore

by Depressed_Hyena



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Betrayal, Blood, Character Death, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to friends back to enemies then friends again, Friendship, Genderfluid Character, Mild Gore, Moral Dilemmas, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Or is there?, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Imposter, Secret Traitor just in general, Shapeshifting, Technical cannibalism, Trans Male Character, its not as bad as it sounds i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28242120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Depressed_Hyena/pseuds/Depressed_Hyena
Summary: White's an idiot enough to stop what they were born to do, too bad everyone else isn't.
Relationships: Blue/Green (Among Us), Crewmate & Impostor (Among Us), Crewmate & Mini Crewmate (Among Us), Crewmate/Crewmate (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 36





	1. Slip

**Author's Note:**

> This is pretty short, honestly more of a prologue and most tags don't really apply. Oddly enough it still took me forever.

White never wanted to be the bad guy. They were a gentle soul really; it's just that when push comes to shove they weren't human. No matter how many people they surround themselves with, they could never truly be alike. White could never know the feeling of peace near such a defenseless species. It was painstakingly easy to slip into their ranks and even easier to get them to trust White. Quietly, they supposed they weren't exactly White anymore though, no, White died the second the creature found a tear in their suit. 

A quick lie of just feeling a little under the weather allowed all suspicion to quickly fizzle away and the alien got by just fine. White was dead, but they did leave behind a love for French and a nicely fitting name for the new creature. Blanche. 

Blanche, in all honesty, wanted to be done and over with the entire situation. Attacking White had been an instinct and mistake, they were quite queasy with the idea of having to stay long in the same skin. But playing on a team of people that were apparently supposed to do that made it difficult. Meaning they'd have to make this quick. 

The captain, codename: Yellow, was quite friendly with the team. She distributed tasks evenly and offered assistance if needed. It almost made Blanche feel bad. 

It was not an 'almost' situation, it made them feel bad. 

Blanche lived alone for the majority of their life, they didn't know any others like themselves or anyone at all actually. If something breathing moved near Blanche, they killed it and took its face. Simple as that. 

That was not as easy to do when surrounded by eleven other unpredictable people with weapons. So they were grateful when Yellow organized the group to split up to get their tasks done faster. Making things, much, much easier for Blanche. 

Blanche sauntered down the halls, slow as they reached their destination. Reasons sliding with not wanting to seem in a hurry and also not completely understanding human functioning yet. They didn't exactly want to stay human long enough to figure it out either. 

Blanche had taken the form of the lowest of prey before but even they had some sort of defense mechanism, humans were soft, their teeth and nails too blunt to do any real damage, not to mention every time Blanche took off their helmet their hair would constantly get in the way. They absolutely hated it. 

This hate fueled them as they slipped into Electrical. An innocent and short Lime standing quietly, fiddling with the wires. Underneath the visor, White watched them work, an almost pitying feeling rising in their chest. Slowly it dawned they didn't exactly want this, Lime had never done anything even remotely offensive to Blanche. Nor had the other crewmates. Yet a rumbling hunger drew from Blanche as they watched in silence. It wouldn't be long until someone stepped in or walked by, if they had to attack, they had to make it now. 

Blanche slumped against the cafeteria table, Yellow and Brown's voices were the only audible thing in the room as they practically screamed at each other. There had barely been a body to report and Brown was sobbing and accusing everyone, Blanche couldn't even flinch as Brown pointed her finger to them next. Blanche was wrapped up in their own thoughts, the prime question being; who's next? Blanche pondered this as Yellow shot down Brown’s accusations, moving on to the next argument. 

"I'll go with White." A gentle voice broke Blanche's thoughts as they recognized their name, they turned their head across the table to see Black, he still had his helmet on and his head was bowed softly as he spoke. 

Blanche blinked, they managed to block the entire conversation out the second Yellow dismissed Brown’s suspicions. 

"We're going into pairs for each of our tasks, idiot." Red hissed beside them as he noticed their confusion. "God, pay attention, lives are on the line.”

"Ah, alright then, I don't mind." Blanche shrugged looking to Black curiously. He was quite small and hadn't spoken much the entire time. The two hadn't even interacted once, Blanche was almost concerned at the sudden interest. Though in their mind they couldn't help but be a bit grateful, at least it answered their question.


	2. along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blanche makes their choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said, I'll update next Thursday and then didn't update for a year? Yea... my bad. Sorry if the format looks a bit different but the good news is I will be updating with an actual schedule and I do have chapters planned out and chapter 3 is basically already done so it won't happen again!

Blanche towered over Black, who was reassigned Lime’s tasks thanks to a drawing of straws. Blanche wanted to laugh upon finding out. 

Black worked steadily under Blanche’s stare, though he jumped at the slightest of any noise and lost track of what he was doing immediately. They wondered how he even managed to get this far. 

“So… do you miss life back home?” Black whispered as he spoke, almost too quiet to hear through the steady hum of the ship. Blanche caught it easily though, some features of their original state were just too valuable to give up. 

“Not particularly.” Blanche mumbled, a bit uneasily, they had no clue what ‘home’ even was. They’d never been to Earth and absolutely did not plan to. “What about you?” They asked hurriedly, praying Black wouldn’t try and pry. 

“Oh, I guess I miss my sisters, but… uh, no.” Black stumbled over his answer, Blanche could hear his frown through his voice and his hands stopped moving momentarily. He paused for a second longer before returning to his work. “Not that life up here is much better apparently.” He sighed. 

Blanche hummed in understanding, the taste of copper still stung in their mouth. “What do you think happened?” 

Black paused again, freezing in place before shaking his head and restarting his work with a silent curse. “I… I don’t know.” They admitted quietly. “I can’t imagine any of us betraying each other… I don’t want to.” 

“Maybe it wasn’t? Maybe something slipped through and is currently just hiding in the vents…” Their eyes wandered to said vents, their tone even as they spoke. “Maybe it just wanted it’s fill and has already left.” They proposed, looking back to Black who somewhere along the line had looked back at them. 

An uncomfortable silence stretched and Blanche considered just killing Black to get it over with before he gave a slow nod. 

“Maybe…” He mumbled. 

Blanche did not end up killing him.

Sleep was a glorious thing, Blanche discovered. It wasn’t like Blanche had never been unconscious before, but for the first time, they’d experienced it willingly. They wanted to do it forever, not to mention the discovery of blankets, it completely triumphed over every single thing Blanche had ever known. Fur and natural temperature regulation were completely mute compared to whatever material blankets were made out of. 

Blanche was still riding off the pure joy of sleep when a gentle knock came to their cabin door. Slightly confused they opened the door to see Black, helmet off, but their dark space suit still on. 

“Something wrong?” Blanche frowned, more concerned with going back to sleep over whatever Black had to say. 

“No, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to breakfast? I- I’m still a little uneasy about everything but you seem trustworthy so…” Black mumbled, seemingly struggling to meet Blanche’s eyes. 

Blanche tilted their head, struggling to remember what a breakfast even was. “Oh, thanks, but I’m not exactly hungry at the moment.” They admitted earnestly, their last meal would last them a while before they needed to eat again. 

Black winced, a nervous spark going through his eyes before he nodded. “Alright.” He nodded, glancing away almost anxiously. “See you around then.” He offered a small wave to the other before turning to leave. 

He didn’t get very far before a mixture of guilt settled in Blanche’s stomach and they ended up sighing. “Hold on, hold on, I’ll come with. Just don’t expect me to eat much,” Blanche warned, stepping out and closing their door behind them. 

Black gave a visible sigh of relief, a sea of stress seemingly rolling off his shoulder with Blanche’s words. “Thanks. I hate to start trouble but Purple and Pink are the only other ones in the cafeteria and they’re quite… difficult sometimes.” He huffed. 

Considering the fact that they’d only been there for a day or so made White highly question just what kind of people those two were. 

Blanche discovered the problem with Purple right off the bat. They were unnervingly tall, taller than Blanche which was extremely apparent when they sat across from each other.

This wasn’t the case originally but the second Black sat down Pink leaped to his table and sat across with a wide grin, Purple following after quietly. Purple didn’t speak a word, slipping bits of food under a surgical mask and into their mouth. 

Purple didn’t exactly need to speak though, Pink did enough of that for the both of them. He was currently on the topic of what he assumed everyone's secret tragic backstory was and didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Blanche just opted for ignoring him. 

They really tried too. Trying becoming failing as the shorter man leaned across the table and peered up to Blanche with bright pink lensed eyes. “Hello? Earth to White, I asked you a question.” He laughed softly, waving his hand, incidentally calling attention to the varying bandaids that littered it, printing his hand, crawling over and under the neon pink suit. 

Blanche blinked, looking to Pink in a slight daze. “What?” 

“Gosh, you did this yesterday at the meeting too, you alright there?” Pink fell back into their seat, a lazy smile coming to their features as his brows furrowed slightly in concern. 

“Yeah, fine, just a bit tired is all.” They explained, a bit too quick. “Why? What did you ask?” 

Pink sat up, stretching the arms over the table with a satisfying pop. “Well~ I was going to ask what you miss most about home, but I guess I’m more curious about how well you slept last night. I worry about my crewmates after all.” He cooed innocently, folding his hands back into his lap. 

Blanche frowned, leaning back. “I slept fine. Yesterday was just a bit tiring.” 

The friendly smile on Pink dropped quickly and they glanced away. “Right… Lime.” 

The table went silent for a second and Blanche was almost ashamed to think they preferred it that way. They glanced over to Black, still eating quietly, Blanche wished he’d hurry a little faster so they could just leave. Between Pink’s endless staring and Purple’s overall existence, Blanche wanted out. 

“Between me and you though…” Blanche resisted the urge to groan as they turned their attention back to Pink. “I think it was Blue or Green. They’re the ones with the most access around the ship and stuff like that.” Pink mumbled. 

Blanche raised a brow, taking absent note of Black tensing in their peripheral vision. “Don’t we all have access around the entire ship?” 

Pink shrugged. “Well, yeah, but Blue and Green are scientists or biologists or whatever, they’d know how to get rid of a body quickly. Plus they’re dating so they’d definitely cover for each other, it’s very suspicious if you think about it.” 

Blanche frowned, it sounded reasonable enough in all honesty. Blanche could almost be convinced to believe it if they weren’t aware of the real killer. 

“But you saw the body, Pink, that wasn’t any human killing.” Black suddenly mumbled eyes narrowed. 

Pink stared back at Black, thinking for a second. “Maybe they’re not human then. I’m not exactly opposed to the idea of aliens, I’ve had some… encounters with a couple of inhuman things.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Pink grumbled in irritation, giving a vague shrug. “I’d rather not explain...” 

“This isn’t our first mission.” A new voice said lowly, Blanche followed Pink’s eyes before realizing it was Purple who spoke. They paid no mind to the sudden attention, placing their food back on their tray, giving a heavy sigh. “That’s all I’m going to say.” With that, they pushed their chair out and began to leave. 

Pink’s eyes widened and he quickly scrambled out his seat after Purple, calling after the other to wait up. 

“Well, that was ominous...” Blanche hummed, leaning back comfortably. Absently they wondered if they could sleep in the cafeteria. 

“Did you mean what you said yesterday?” Black asked quietly, eyes unable to meet Blanche’s. 

They tilted their head. “What do you mean?” 

“About something slipping in and already being gone…” He clarified, glancing over to Blanche uneasily. 

Blanche regretted the fact that the question made them pause. They hated the fact that they had to think about the answer for even a second. “Yeah, of course, I do.” 

Being a shape-shifting parasite should’ve made lying easy. 


	3. honest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guilt takes a heavy toll, one Blanche isn't so sure they can carry for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yayy an actual on-time update. Not sure if the next one will also be on time but here's hoping !

Red had been following Blanche for about ten minutes and it was starting to make them antsy. Blanche’s eyes trailed to the security cameras, Black had always seemed less stressed in the areas that had them. He wasn’t there though, he was assisting Yellow with a task and Black trusted Yellow enough to not ask Blanche to come along. 

Blanche was thankful to finally get some time alone. At least until Red decided to rudely interrupt that peace. 

A part of Blanche encouraged them to just handle him as Lime was bound to stop being enough soon. Why not have some extra stored? 

Their eyes drifted back to the cameras though and they thought better of it. 

If Red continued following like a stalker Blanche didn’t think they’d have much of a choice. Blanche turned and they heard Red skitter back slightly as if trying not to be seen by Blanche. Which in all fairness, if Blanche was deaf and stupid, maybe they wouldn’t have. 

Blanche stepped in the room and slipped behind the door, they noted they were in the reactor room, meaning if they had just gone the other way they’d be in the security room, with whoever was on cameras. Blanche couldn’t decide if that was worse or better. 

They decided on worse, considering Pink should’ve been on cameras when Red followed in. He took another step into the room, not noticing Blanche behind the door. Blanche clicked the button to shut the door, seizing forward quickly and slipping a knife from their pocket, raising it to Red’s neck, he had his helmet off, like a complete idiot. The cool metal threatened to touch skin but Blanche refused to draw blood. They didn’t actually plan to kill him but he was getting on the aliens' last nerve. They may have looked like prey and stooped to their level but they refused to be treated like something to hunt. 

“What do you want?” They hissed. 

Red was frozen, holding his breath and looking down at the knife nervously. “Ah- so you did notice.” He grumbled. 

Blanche scoffed, rolling their eyes. “Yeah, clearly. Now I’m going to ask you again; what do you want?” They growled, an actual snarl threatening to rise from the back of their throat. 

“Well, I’ll gladly explain if you would kindly remove the knife from my throat.” He said, eyes still carefully trained to it. 

Blanche resisted the urge to laugh and pressed it just a little closer so it could make contact. “Do I look stupid to you? What. Do. You. Want?” 

He took a sharp inhale and he tilted his head up slightly, trying to get some distance. “Fine, fine, Christ. You’ve just been acting strange and I thought if I followed you I’d get some answers!” He explained quickly, keeping as quiet as possible. 

They paused, narrowing their eyes. “That’s all?” They questioned. 

“Yes, yes! I swear, I know this looks bad but I’m no imposter, alright?! Can you please let me go now?” He begged. 

Blanche sighed, slowly moving their blade away, pocketing it, and backing away. “Fine. Don’t try anything like this on me again, do you hear me?” Blanche glared at the man, giving a lengthy exhale as he clutched his chest. 

“Loud and clear.” He mumbled, eyeing them uneasily. “I- I'll just be on my way then.” He laughed awkwardly before practically sprinting out. 

Blanche watched the door a second longer before giving a heave and kneeling over. Invisible quiet hunger gnawing at them viciously. They cursed themselves quietly, they had him right there. It would’ve been so so easy, they didn’t even need to risk their hands getting too dirty. They could’ve eaten their fill and maybe even clawed their way into the security room and taken Pink as well. Blanche forced themselves to straighten back up, leaning their hand against their helmet to steady themselves. 

It all went fine, Blanche was fine, they didn’t need to eat, not yet. Even when it was time, they’d be safe about it. They refused to be reckless, not when they got this far. 

Blanche let out a steady exhale, smoothing out their breathing and forcing the bubbling hunger away. They’d eat soon enough anyway. 

As soon as Blanche stepped out of the Reactor room they practically slammed into someone. For a second Blanche assumed it to be Red before seeing the sandy blond hair and realizing Red wasn’t even that stupid. 

Blanche looked down to see Cyan, trying to catch his balance and clutching a small clipboard. He looked up to Blanche confused and wide-eyed. 

“Oh! Sorry, White! I guess I got a bit distracted.” He laughed completely exhausted. 

Blanche hummed. “It’s fine. What are you doing here though?” They asked, frowning slightly. 

He paused for a second, stuttering over his answer. “Uh, oh, right, just making sure everything’s in order!” He explained hastily, tapping on his clipboard. 

Blanche nodded, glancing over Cyan’s shoulder. “Did Red pass by your way just now?” 

Cyan blinked before looking over their shoulder thoughtfully. “Um, yes? Someone ran past me but I wasn’t really paying attention…” He admittedly sheepishly. 

Cyan was returning from the lower engine, meaning Red wasn’t as stupid as he looked or he was just taking the long way to the emergency button in the cafeteria. Blanche didn’t exactly want to test it.

“Right, thanks. Keep up the good work.” Blanche hummed, patting Cyan’s shoulder as they went, absently noting the immediate soot and oil sticking to their glove. 

The other didn’t notice, too busy being apparently stunned by the compliment. “Oh, um, thank you.” He mumbled, glancing aside. 

Blanche decided it best to just continue on, giving a small nod of acknowledgment and picking up their pace towards the upper engine room headed straight for the cafeteria. 

They arrived to see Brown sitting at the table, staring at their hands folded on the table. She hadn’t said much after their last meeting. It would’ve made her an easy target and a part of Blanche called to attack, she didn’t look like she’d put up much of a fight if something did threaten her life. Yet the thought also sickened Blanche. 

Quickly, Blanche took a step back, suddenly feeling woozy. It was getting harder and harder to not completely lose themselves. The skin was constricting and their hunger was growing every second they stuck around the frailer species. 

Brown suddenly took notice of the taller crewmate and glanced up. “Oh, White? Is everything alright?” She asked softly, her eyes were circled and dull as she looked over the other. 

Blanche swallowed their hunger, they’d figure out something soon, they absolutely had to. They nodded at Brown's question, they were fine. After all, why wouldn’t they be? 

She gave a small hum towards Blanche and glanced aside, clearly disbelieving. “Okay. I- I know now is probably a weird time to bring it up, but I’d like to apologize for last time. I was really emotional and wasn’t exactly thinking clearly… I know someone killed Lime, but… but I don’t think it was you, White.” 

A foolish decision. Blanche wanted to confess then and there, just to get a reaction, just to have a reason, just to remove the pressing weight off their shoulders. Instead, they looked back to Brown quietly, picking their words carefully. “Thank you, Brown.” It was all Blanche could manage in the end. 

She offered a small smile, it made Blanche feel sick to their stomach. 

Blanche abandoned the idea of catching up with Red after talking with Brown. The alien retreated to their room and slunk against the door, struggling to hold themselves between hunger and a pang of even more devouring guilt. 

They were born to do this; to infiltrate, kill, and move on. Guilt was never a thing that was supposed to be a part of it. Internally they blamed their skin, the body of the human they overrode. Human emotions, human needs, it was a tricky blob of a mess that created a deadly contrast to Blanche. It wasn’t normal and the second they could get rid of the constricting skin Blanche would be able to properly confront it. Yet a part of them challenged if that was even what they really wanted. 

It was pitiful. Blanche sitting on the floor, snarling to themselves if they should give up their life or not for a group of strangers. 

They ended up deciding to take a nap. 

Blanche woke up groggily, feeling worse than before. Stretching and yawning with inhuman incisors protruding from their mouth. They hissed to themselves as they realized, covering their face to rearrange themselves back to normal. Between the hunger and exhaustion, it was getting harder and harder to keep it up. 

Slowly, the alien dragged themselves out of bed, making sure nothing else was out of place before shuffling their suit on just in case, deciding only to leave the helmet. They glanced at the clock on the wall, everyone should’ve been resting still so they figured they’d have time to just pace the halls to get their thoughts together. 

It was dark, the lights all shut off or dimmed to also give the ship a second to store energy. Not that it mattered to Blanche, their eyes had learned long ago to adapt to the darkness; it was where they spent a majority of their time before White came along. Another feature of theirs they refused to surrender. 

Blanche wandered to the cafeteria, catching sight of another sitting to themselves, their back turned to Blanche, completely unaware. 

There were no cameras in the cafeteria, there wasn’t even anyone on cams. Everyone was asleep. Everyone was supposed to be sleeping, at least. No one would have any way of knowing. It’d be easy, it’s always so painstakingly easy. The pain, the hunger would be gone and they’d be a day closer to finally being free of the wretched skin. 

Carefully, quietly Blanche took a step closer and the other was none the wiser. Blanche took quiet strides until they were directly behind the other. Until they could clearly recognize the other to be Black, sitting to himself, humming and writing onto a piece of paper. 

Then pen in his hand dropped and Blanche tensed, quickly distracted by the effort to keep their form as Black turned. 

The man jumped, looking up to Blanche with wide eyes and the creature could practically hear his heart jump. “Oh! White! Gosh, do you not make any noise?” Black’s hand rose to his heart and he gave a weak laugh. 

Blanche internally cursed themselves. “Sorry, you looked busy,” Blanche mumbled, taking a seat beside the other. 

Black smiled, looking back to their paper. “Oh, not really, it was getting a little stuffy in my room so I wanted to write in a more open space.” He explained.

“Makes sense, what are you writing?” Blanche asked curiously. 

“I guess it’s a letter, not that I’d actually be able to send it, so maybe more of a journal? It’s just what’s been going on here if something were to-” Black paused, frowning and shaking his head, restarting. “It’s good to record your thoughts, I think. Besides, when I return home, it’d be nice to look back on this. I mean, we’re in space, not a lot of people can say they’ve done that.” He was quick to force a smile on, looking to Blanche but not exactly able to meet their eyes. 

They hummed in response, they couldn’t imagine much positivity in the letter it’d only just started and a man was dead. 

“So why are you up and about?” Black asked, quick to change the subject before Blanche could press further. 

Blanche blanked at the question, completely unexpecting it. “I got a bit hungry.” They blurted, lying should’ve been easy yet it managed to be the only thing they weren’t good at. 

Black snorted, a light of humor returning. “I would hope so, you skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was beginning to get a bit worried.” 

This was the second slip-up and Blanche was this close, for the second time in their experience of knowing Black, to eating the other just to avoid an awkward situation. “I appreciate it, but I…um, well...” Blanche paused, racking their brain for an excuse. 

Black tilted his head curiously. “Do you not like eating in front of others?” He asked innocently, furrowing his brow in an almost concerned way. 

“Yeah.” Blanche glanced away from Black, mostly surprised that was even a thing or how Black managed to draw that conclusion. 

He laughed, gentle and sympathetic. “That’s fine! I’ll just sit at a different table.” He offered, already standing up. “I just don’t want you starving or anything like that.” He hummed, taking his things with him. 

Blanche blinked, barely processing anything before they managed to sputter a small, “thanks. Thanks, I appreciate it.” They mumbled, getting up to go fetch some food. Black wouldn’t be able to actually see them eat but the other would probably be listening out to make sure the other actually ate. 

Blanche chose a small thing, just a simple bag of chips. They went back to their seat and after trying not to struggle with the bag for a couple of minutes managed to finally start eating. Unsurprisingly they hated it. They’d eaten a lot of poor things in the past, trying to sedate their hunger, trying to blend in, and while it definitely wasn’t the worst, it was far from good. 

Still, they chomped away, ignoring the stick of grease on their fingers and annoyingly light crunch. It reminded them of a particularly sour species that used a thin shell to defend itself, just the thought of them wanted to make Blanche gag. 

“Hey, White?” Black’s voice came quietly from the other table, a grateful distraction from the chips. 

Blanche hummed in acknowledgment, mouth too full of whatever barbecue flavor was, to give a proper response. 

“What’s your real name?” Black asked curiously. 

It was innocent enough, yet it made Blanche freeze. White’s full real name died with them and was one of the many things about White that Blanche didn’t particularly care for. The name they gave themselves would be acceptable but they couldn’t push out the worry that Black already knew and was pushing them into a trap. There was the possibility that someone else already knew Black was in the cafeteria, the possibility that someone saw Blanche enter as well, the fear it was all a setup, and the imposter was doomed from the very start. 

“You don’t have to tell me though!” Black’s frantic tone interrupted their internal spiraling, snapping them back to reality. “I was just a bit curious. Calling you only White felt a little inconsiderate, though I’m not exactly fond of my own name myself.” He laughed a bit weakly, and Blanche could hear him slump against the table where he sat. 

“Oh, no it’s fine! You can call me Blanche, I- I don’t mind you just caught me off guard.” They said quickly, trying to smooth it over as naturally as possible. 

“Blanche?” Black repeated, a curious hum accompanying his words. “Isn’t that French?”

“Yep. I think it’s fitting.” They smiled, despite Black being unable to see, they took a bit of pride in their name, they had picked it themselves after all. 

Black gave a gentle laugh. “It is. I wish I had a name like that.” He admitted quietly. “In all honesty, I’ve been meaning to change it for a while.” 

They folded their arms on the table, feeling familiar drowsiness take place or a simple content they usually received after finishing a successful kill. “Do you know what you’d want to change it to?” Blanche asked. 

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Not really, I do like your name though.” 

“Oh, how about something similar then? Like Noir.” Blanche proposed, leaning back against the chair and unable to help a smile. 

Black struggled to stifle a laugh. “That’s the same thing, though?” He pointed out, seemingly confused by his own question. 

Blanche tilted their head considerately. “I mean... no, but yes, it’s the same premise. You don’t have to use it.” They grinned, it was amusing, genuine in an unfamiliar way. 

There was a quiet pause, not as uncomfortable as previous ones as the man behind Blanche delved into his own thoughts. Quietly, he mumbled. “I like it.” 

Blanche sat quietly on their bed, staring at their hands, they weren’t really theirs, every part of the creature was stolen. Including the slow beating heart that protested every second Blanche lingered on the ship. It was getting increasingly difficult to even want to stay, yet a part of them protested leaving not out of hunger or obligation but for that comfortable feeling of being content. For that easy feeling, they felt for their first time in their life, of being honest. 

It was only a sliver of truth but there was a trust in it because the other could trust them in that moment. For the first time, they could be trusted without the intent of eventual betrayal. 

Blanche buried their face in their hands, it was all stolen and they couldn’t give it back but there was that tiny chance, that small sliver, that they wouldn’t need to steal again if they stopped. It felt ridiculous, the idea of just not senselessly attacking out of eternal starvation, of just settling for bad chips and honesty. 

They dragged their eyes to the clock on the wall and sighed, they needed another nap. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading as always, comments are very appreciated!


	4. Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A threat is made, another fulfilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this isn't technically late but it's really pushing it, hit a sort of writer's block but I really liked this chapter. Gore trigger warning though, gets a tiny bit graphic.

Blanche slumped against the cafeteria table beside Noir, who chatted pleasantly with Brown. The woman had calmed down a bit the past days, latching onto the theory of it being a one-time thing and that whatever had killed Lime had already gone. In fact, a majority of the crew had preferred that idea, except for two of course. 

Tan had been adamant on the idea of an imposter, she insisted there was no way it was possible it was only a ‘fluke’ and that something on the ship had the intent to kill them all. Mostly everyone ignored her though. 

Blanche was more concerned with Red, who was currently glaring at the back of their head skeptically. He hadn’t said anything directly to Blanche(besides that one time) but practically everyone on the ship was aware Red didn’t trust a single one of them, Blanche especially. 

They didn’t let it bother them too much, it was expected from every trip to have at least one person wary. Not to mention their previous encounter almost leading to Blanche slitting his throat. Though they weren’t exactly the biggest fan of the man even before that. He was useful when he needed to be but Blanche wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to do. 

Still, though, they blamed their irrational paranoia when it came to these things. Glancing to their side to see Noir laughing at something Brown said; ignoring Red, the atmosphere was peaceful. Lime’s death had shaken them up but they seemed to have moved past it, while Blanche still noted them occasionally glance over their shoulders to find nothing there, it all seemed almost forgotten. They were slightly warier but were also making an effort to be more friendly with each other, without the suspicious undertones it was comforting in a way. Blanche had yet to see a species that adapted so quickly, if Blanche was just a bit crueler they wondered what would happen if they pushed it. Curious about how many would have to die before the overly friendly tone turned accusing and senseless. 

Blanche wasn’t though, everything they did was for the purpose of survival and survival alone. 

It was always the middle of the night, Blanche grumbled as they sat up, rubbing their eyes to wake themselves up a bit. The ticking of the clock on the wall was starting to seriously irritate them and if they did something drastic to it, they would not be taking the blame. 

Once again, they found themselves slipping out of bed, not bothering to get in their suit this time. They just wanted to wander a bit, whether or not they’d shove down another bag of bad chips would be decided later. 

Something clicked behind them as they walked, and a familiar feeling was crawling down their spine. That heavy feeling of eyes on them had settled once again, much more concentrated and malicious than before. Yet when Blanche turned, nothing was there, not even the usual skidding halt, like they’d already predicted when Blanche would turn. Something comfortable with its position in the dark. 

Blanche wasn’t in the best of moods recently, paranoia, starvation, and irritation were a constant state for the alien, and being stalked just worsened it. 

They noted their surroundings, the storage room, there was a lack of cameras though Blanche couldn’t exactly find themselves caring about that too much. Even if someone was awake, they shouldn’t have been in the area for any reason. 

So they stopped, listening carefully for anything lurking, they couldn’t tell if the quiet uneasy breathing was theirs or something else. 

Blanche sat on top of one of the crates, if something was genuinely after them, Blanche wasn’t going to make much fuss. They were going to wait quietly until whatever it was wanted to actually show itself. 

“You’re a real bother, you know?” A familiar voice crept from behind them. 

Blanche didn’t even turn, only snorting and shrugging their shoulders. “I’m aware.” They hummed. 

“I know, White. I know what’s happening here.” They hissed, leaning towards Blanche, their breath uncomfortably close to their ear. 

“Of course you do, why don’t you clarify.” Blanche turned themselves around to meet his eyes, they were dark despite his eye color leaning on an almost golden side, his constant glare made them appear much more malicious than necessary. His hair was naturally dark at least, though it seemed to lean on a blue or even greener shade sometimes. His entire look was completely off from the codename; Red. 

Blanche wondered if he dyed his hair. 

“You’re not human.” The statement quickly snapped Blanche awake and alert. They frowned looking at him in bafflement.

“What?” 

“You heard me.” Red snapped, glaring harshly at them. 

Blanche chuckled, completely involuntary, and shook their head. “Red, do you hear yourself?” They pointed at him, tilting their head. “Seriously, you have to at least have a little proof when making an accusation like that.” 

Red rolled their eyes. “You fucking growled at me I’m pretty sure. That’s weird enough but I’ve been watching for a while now and I know damn well it was you who killed Lime.” 

Blanche froze, resisting the ever-growing urge to lash out, to fall into a bottomless spiral. “Red. That’s a serious claim. You can’t just-”

Their eyes widened as Red whipped a blade from his pocket. “You want proof? Fine, fuck you.” 

Blanche flinched back, bracing themselves for the sting, squeezing their eyes shut. Then the smell hit them. 

They whipped their head to see Red holding out their arm, a shallow slice dripping all over the floor. “I miscalculated the amount of blood.” He mumbled. 

Blanche slammed their hands over their nose and mouth, feeling a flood of saliva build in their mouth. They quickly turned away, eyes wide and trying not to pant as their stomach audibly grumbled. So Lime didn’t provide as much as they would’ve liked. 

“Aw, is the shapeshifter hungry? I’m not exactly opposed to your existence you know.” Red laughed, tossing the knife aside and allowing the blood to freely spill. “We have the same goal you know.” 

Blanche swallowed roughly, standing up frantically and taking a step away. They refused to cave like this. “What the actual hell are you talking about?” They managed to grit, glaring back to him, only able to meet his eyes. 

“Well~” Red drawled, stepping closer. “You’re clearly starving on a ship of extremely vulnerable weak humans who’d kill you, by the way, if they found out what you were. And I kinda already wrote down that I suspected you’re the killer so if I die it won’t look too good for you.” He grinned as he spoke, dripping blood and fake sympathy. 

“Just what do you want!?” Blanche snapped, feeling absolutely mad with hunger. 

“The death of all these silly little crewmates of course!” He beamed, finally stepping back. “You’d do it easily! And I know you want to.” 

Blanche recoiled, struggling to get as far away as possible from the other. “I don’t.” They protested weakly, pressing their hands so hard against their mouth they felt enlarged canines tear into their lips. 

“Don’t lie, White! It’s okay! I won’t even mind you eating me as long as everyone else finds a way to die.” Red encouraged, almost desperate as he pleaded with the imposter. 

“What the hell. Why? Why would you?” They winced at the other, more disgusted with him than any other concept in the world. 

He frowned, running his fingers through his hair. “Is it Black? It’s Black isn’t it?” His eyes narrowed as he looked over them. 

They looked back over him, completely baffled. “What? Is Black what?” 

“The reason you’re so reluctant now! You couldn’t wait to tear your teeth into Lime! Yet when Black suddenly shows up; you’re some kinda pacifist?” Red snapped, completely exasperated. “I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to do anything and yet here you are bringing more and more disappointment. Already slit my wrists for you, the least you can do is be honest.” 

“I didn’t ask you to do that!” Blanche exclaimed, bewildered and even more exhausted from the conversation. 

Red cursed, stepping back. “Fine! Whatever, I’ll do my own job.” He grumbled, tapping the back of his heel insistently. He then froze, looking back to Blanche with a too-wide grin. “Starting with that little friend of yours.” 

They tensed, their worry and fear churning dark. “What?” 

Red beamed, spreading out their arms in delight. “You heard me! If you won’t kill them, I will! Starting with Black! Won’t that be funny? Not gonna lie, White, it was looking like you were planning on making him your second meal. I wonder what changed that… won’t matter for long though I suppose.” 

“You can’t.” Blanche’s hand wavered from their mouth and they found themselves stepping closer. 

Red stared back, seemingly completely unaffected, but Blanche could almost hear his heart pound faster. “I can.” He smiled. “What? Do you think you can stop me? There’s really only one way too.” Red taunted, looking up to the taller alien. 

Blanche continued to stare, unblinking, unable. They really needed to think things through before acting. 

They gasped as the world around them cleared, fuzzy redness slowly ebbing away to their eyelashes as they looked down at their hands, completely coated in blood. Blanche stumbled back, Red was splattered against the wall, eyes glazed and an arm missing. “S-shit.” They mumbled, wiping their arm against their mouth. The hunger had at least subsided. 

Blanche quickly picked themselves up and covered their mouth, they didn’t have time for any of this. They prayed no one would be awake yet, they could only hope no one could find out. They hurried away, sticking close to the shadows and avoiding the spilling of any more blood as they hurried to their room. 

The blood was cleaned from their clothes and body, only leaving sickening guilt to keep them stained from the act. Blanche had never liked Red, but they certainly didn’t want to kill him. Not really. 

Blanche laid in bed, taking deep breaths and waiting. Just waiting. 

The room bathed in a blinding light and an alarm began to blare. 

EMERGENCY MEETING.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos' are very appreciated!!

**Author's Note:**

> Next update: Thursday


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